Sara- What an amazing summation of GWTW! I reread it during the pandemic while holed up in a vacation house. I think there had just been an article written likening GWTW to a Confederate monument and I wanted to go back and look at the book with a new lens. I definitely had remembered much more about the picnics and the Tarleton boys than the Reconstruction politics, boy is it there. One book I would recommend to folks is Jubilee by Margaret Walker- I'm surprised how few people have heard of it. I read it years ago when I lived in Virginia and plan to do a reread this February.
I’m so glad you said this! I actually have JUBILEE sitting on my shelves, unread. I picked it up at a used bookstore recently so now I need to prioritize it!
Also, in college, I had to write an essay on a maxim that you believe in and a fictional character that personifies it. I wrote about "God helps those who help themselves" and Scarlett O'Hara. For good or bad, I think about that essay a lot :)
Gone with the Wind - whew. My best friend and I read this together in 5th grade (we were fairly odd children 😆) and I too haven’t stopped thinking of the characters, even 30 years in. But also, I know we missed so very much reading it so young, and I was wondering if I needed to revisit it as an adult. Thank you for confirming that I do not ❤️
Consider me influenced re: Brick and I’m loving it. I was curious about it but still stubborn on needing to exercise my WILLPOWER. Then my husband was reading Frog and Toad to our son and the story “Cookies” came up and that moved me the final yards to deciding I would use my willpower to engineer my environment by building a cage for the phone rather than engineer my decision making on a never ending basis 🤣😭
Great post. I've always felt like I SHOULD read GWTW, but also knowing how racist it was and that it would probably make me sick. Recently I've calculated how many books I will probably read before I die (assuming an average lifespan, and no lottery winning that would allow me to dedicate myself to this full time) and now I'm even more reluctant to give it one of the few remaining slots (and considering how chunky it is, it would probably take up TWO slots!).
I read Gone with the Wind over Christmas and haven’t yet found the words to write about it. I feel like you’ve summarised my reticence so well, alongside the fact with I was completely drawn into the plot and the characters. I’ve decided not to watch the film after looking at a few clips on YouTube. Looking forward to reading the new Natasha Brown as I loved Assembly.
I read Gone with the Wind about ten years ago (as a Scottish person who didn't know that much about it) and totally agree – I thought it was an absolutely wonderful piece of storytelling and I could not get enough of it, but I could not believe how racist it was! I feel quite unshockable at times and my jaw was literally dropped for one reconstruction chapter in particular
I've been patiently waiting for a GWTW update! I so appreciated your convo with Traci Thomas about this story. The movie was something I grew up watching over and over, and I actually did a rewatch not too long ago... Last year? I read the book once many years ago. It's one I would love to revisit. Scarlett is such an interesting character and I think GWTW really does work as a classic to dig into and unpack with a modern lens and critical eye. I'm sure reading it now I will have a very different experience than I did ~20 years ago, than people did when they read it back when it originally published. That evolution in perspective is something I find interesting about classics.
agree that the characters in GWTW are so very alive! it's a dangerous book to give to a high school kid who has no awareness of how biased it is, lol--almost like a piece of well-written propaganda. phew. and you must read Edinburgh! And Queen of the Night! They're fabulous.
I also love Brick! I had previously been in the habit of just turning my phone off entirely, but my husband likes knowing he can reach me if necessary, even if I'm deep in a book.
Recently, I finished reading GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES, and it's interesting to think of the protagonist Lorelai in contrast to Scarlett. Lorelai is canny -- delightfully canny -- but she money launders her brains through softness, big peering eyes, and a breathless femininity that lets her run the room without anyone quite noticing.
Between GWTW and Brick this might be my favorite newsletter of yours ever.
You have been a very good influence on me lately.
Sara- What an amazing summation of GWTW! I reread it during the pandemic while holed up in a vacation house. I think there had just been an article written likening GWTW to a Confederate monument and I wanted to go back and look at the book with a new lens. I definitely had remembered much more about the picnics and the Tarleton boys than the Reconstruction politics, boy is it there. One book I would recommend to folks is Jubilee by Margaret Walker- I'm surprised how few people have heard of it. I read it years ago when I lived in Virginia and plan to do a reread this February.
I’m so glad you said this! I actually have JUBILEE sitting on my shelves, unread. I picked it up at a used bookstore recently so now I need to prioritize it!
Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
Also, in college, I had to write an essay on a maxim that you believe in and a fictional character that personifies it. I wrote about "God helps those who help themselves" and Scarlett O'Hara. For good or bad, I think about that essay a lot :)
Gone with the Wind - whew. My best friend and I read this together in 5th grade (we were fairly odd children 😆) and I too haven’t stopped thinking of the characters, even 30 years in. But also, I know we missed so very much reading it so young, and I was wondering if I needed to revisit it as an adult. Thank you for confirming that I do not ❤️
I’ll let you know how The Wrath to Come is! You might like reading jt as a substitute for rereading GWTW!
That would be a great replacement , I bet! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
Consider me influenced re: Brick and I’m loving it. I was curious about it but still stubborn on needing to exercise my WILLPOWER. Then my husband was reading Frog and Toad to our son and the story “Cookies” came up and that moved me the final yards to deciding I would use my willpower to engineer my environment by building a cage for the phone rather than engineer my decision making on a never ending basis 🤣😭
Great post. I've always felt like I SHOULD read GWTW, but also knowing how racist it was and that it would probably make me sick. Recently I've calculated how many books I will probably read before I die (assuming an average lifespan, and no lottery winning that would allow me to dedicate myself to this full time) and now I'm even more reluctant to give it one of the few remaining slots (and considering how chunky it is, it would probably take up TWO slots!).
I read Gone with the Wind over Christmas and haven’t yet found the words to write about it. I feel like you’ve summarised my reticence so well, alongside the fact with I was completely drawn into the plot and the characters. I’ve decided not to watch the film after looking at a few clips on YouTube. Looking forward to reading the new Natasha Brown as I loved Assembly.
I read Gone with the Wind about ten years ago (as a Scottish person who didn't know that much about it) and totally agree – I thought it was an absolutely wonderful piece of storytelling and I could not get enough of it, but I could not believe how racist it was! I feel quite unshockable at times and my jaw was literally dropped for one reconstruction chapter in particular
I've been patiently waiting for a GWTW update! I so appreciated your convo with Traci Thomas about this story. The movie was something I grew up watching over and over, and I actually did a rewatch not too long ago... Last year? I read the book once many years ago. It's one I would love to revisit. Scarlett is such an interesting character and I think GWTW really does work as a classic to dig into and unpack with a modern lens and critical eye. I'm sure reading it now I will have a very different experience than I did ~20 years ago, than people did when they read it back when it originally published. That evolution in perspective is something I find interesting about classics.
agree that the characters in GWTW are so very alive! it's a dangerous book to give to a high school kid who has no awareness of how biased it is, lol--almost like a piece of well-written propaganda. phew. and you must read Edinburgh! And Queen of the Night! They're fabulous.
I’m so glad to know Natasha Brown has a new book coming out. I loved Assembly.
I also love Brick! I had previously been in the habit of just turning my phone off entirely, but my husband likes knowing he can reach me if necessary, even if I'm deep in a book.
Recently, I finished reading GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES, and it's interesting to think of the protagonist Lorelai in contrast to Scarlett. Lorelai is canny -- delightfully canny -- but she money launders her brains through softness, big peering eyes, and a breathless femininity that lets her run the room without anyone quite noticing.